Privilege of being a Mother

So here i sit...one day after my due date and still plump as saint nick. Except I think I am the least anxious person about this situation. My family and friends especially my family seem to be at the edge of their seats letting the thought that I could go any minute (but I think I will be induced) consume their thoughts from morning until night. I'm not being vain, its true that they are. As I am when someone close to me is expecting.
Yes it is a bit of a bummer-roo to have your due date come and go and still have the child IN instead of IN YOUR ARMS but he is just taking his sweet time enjoying his last few days in the womb...however enjoyable it could be in those cramped quarters.
And I knew that my due date was just a very approximate date from the beginning but somehow I let my self get wound around it and didn't once picture myself going even one hour over my due date. I'll take that as a lesson learned as a first time mother. As I look back on the past 9 months I can not believe how fast it really has gone. It feels like I have been pregnant forever yet just like every special time in our lives, it has flown by! I have come to realize that I really do love being pregnant! No I am not crazy...through the sickness, the weight gain, the sleepless nights, the heart burn, the physical discomforts could go on and on....it has been a roller coaster ride...but the kind you want to keep riding again and again. Once again I am not crazy. It is such a miracle what the body can do and I have come to appreciate and respect my body in new ways after this miracle that has been created and that I will soon meet. I have always thought that the "miracle of life" was just that...a miracle but it is real to me now, it is something so different when you are the one actually experiencing it. I know I will have many other chances to bear other children but this is the only time I will bear this child... Zealand....and as much as I can not WAIT to hold him...it has been a joy to carry him for 9 months. I am sure in the first few months that I was sick I could have never pictured myself saying this but now that I am nearing the end I have a chance to reflect and what a reflection it is. It has been rough indeed, more times then not....but with support and the right attitude and perspective it has also been a joy and a time I will never forget. I have thought of the things that have helped me through... 8 certain things came to mind and I am going to call them my "pregnancy survival kit"

#1 My Husband
He has been there every step of the way. Supporting me, taking in endless accounts of my everyday experiences being pregnant (which are not always so lovely), being my coach in Lamaze class, keeping me laughing, back rubs, loving my new big belly body, preparing with me to become new parents. Thank you Dan!
Thank you thank you thank you! I love you!

#2 Exercise
It is hard and I wasn't totally faithful to working out my entire pregnancy but when I did I found my body and mind feeling lots better (just like when I am not pregnant) and more willing to take on the pregnancy discomforts. And I obviously do not know from experience yet but I have heard many times that exercising throughout your pregnancy makes a world of a difference when labor and delivery come along. we shall see!

#3 Peppermint
Taking a warm shower or bath with a few drops of peppermint oil in the beginning when i was so nauseous was the only thing that gave me any comfort or relief.

#4 The right Pre-Natal pill
The right pre-natal pill for me was New Chapter's "Perfect Prenatal". Not only do I believe it is so perfectly delivering to my baby what he needs but it has things that help me as well like Lavender that I believe helped me sleep better at night.

#5 Pre-Natal and Post-Natal Education
Books, Magazines, Classes, Weekly email updates on my babies development, I could not get my hands on enough of these resources. It helped me to feel calm and to understand the new things my body was experiencing. I was less fearful knowing and being knowledgeable about what was going on. It also helped me to prepare for what is to come and to know what to expect for the most part. Most part because some things are just unexpected another lesson I have learned.

#6 Having a sense of humor
Being able to keep things light and laugh at the things that might otherwise be embarrassing or frustrating kept me happy throughout my pregnancy. Giving my self (my body) a break and realizing the epic thing that it is doing helped. I hear about women going crazy during their pregnancy and my husband as my witness I feel that I was mostly sane and pleasant to be around most of my pregnancy. I kept myself joking and finding the humor. A huge part of being able to do this I contribute to my Husband again.

#7 A good solid pillow ....or 8
I would have saved myself a good ten minutes of perfectly positioning pillows every night before bed (you have all seen this task portrayed in this post) had I purchased this comfy and handy pillow....The Snoogle at the beginning. Totally worth it!

#8 My BEST-EE the Potato!
I have had many many food aversions throughout my entire pregnancy but there has been one specific food that has not let me down...that has comforted me countless times...it is the POTATO! In any shape or from. Mashed, baked, french fried, potato wedged, hasbrowned, however he comes I accept him with open arms! and the best part there is no limit to how much of him I can eat. I just never get sick of it. Thanks Potato!

And that's that...my personal pregnancy survival kit!

I have posted several quotes from church authorities about being a mother but I just found this one today and I love it just as much as the others....

bounds of Creativity Unlimited

Posted: 02 Apr 2009 01:00 AM PDT

"If you are a mother, you participate with God in His work of creation—not only by providing physical bodies for your children but also by teaching and nurturing them. If you are not a mother now, the creative talents you develop will prepare you for that day, in this life or the next."You may think you don't have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us (see D&C 46:11–12). The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter."What you create doesn't have to be perfect. . . . Don't let the voices of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside."If you still feel incapable of creating, start small. Try to see how many smiles you can create, write a letter of appreciation, learn a new skill, identify a space and beautify it."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Happiness, Your Heritage," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 119

Just a little update. I will be induced April 9Th if Zealand has not come on his own. I really hope he does because being induced will make my wishes of wanting to do and unmedicated labor will be that much more painful. I think I have decided if I do have to be induced that I will be getting and epidural. bugger. Wish me luck!